Chapter 18 The Shocking Lychee Garden (18) Uncle, is she really possessed? ...

After waiting in their room for most of the day, the Li family still hadn't arrived. According to Zhang Da, the Li family was celebrating their father-in-law's birthday, and the whole family had just gone to Chunhua Town the day before yesterday. They wouldn't be home for at least six or seven days, and possibly as long as half a month.

Just then, Du Zhong returned from the kitchen with dinner. Upon hearing this, he pretended to be mysterious and mocked, "What old man's birthday celebration? It's just a pretense. I bet that Master Li is just a fugitive who's trying to escape punishment!"

Although Jiu Li had thought of this for a moment, seeing his confident expression, she came over to help serve the dishes and set the table. "Right now, we're only suspecting the Li family. We haven't even asked them yet, and you're already saying they fled to avoid punishment. Do you have any evidence?"

"Hmph, I just overheard them talking in the kitchen. Last year, the Li family wanted to open a shop selling bowls, plates, and porcelain. They had their eye on a storefront on Xiangshan Street, but the Lin family also wanted the same shop. The two families were competing for it, and Lin Mo privately told the landlord that Master Li was known for delaying rent payments, so the landlord gave the shop to the Lin family. Didn't that create animosity?"

"How did you find out about all these things?"

Du Zhong said smugly, "I think the Li family used the pretext of mourning the young lady to send people into the garden to kill Lin Mo! Come to think of it, this Li Garden is originally the property of the Li family, so they must know their way around here, right?"

Zhang Da found this reasonable and glanced at Xu Bai, saying, "Brother Du Zhong is right. It's easy for the Li family to get in, and they know the paths and houses in this garden like the back of their hand."

Xu Bai was about to nod when Jiu Li was puzzled again. "Since it was someone sent by the Li family, even if the gatekeepers didn't stop him from coming in that day, they should have known. Why did they say that no strangers came in besides me when asked about that day?"

Zhang Da stepped forward, spread his hands, and said, "Miss Yu'er came in with her face covered that day, and perhaps the person sent by the Li family was also covered. Since he came to kill someone, when the yamen runners asked him, he naturally wouldn't reveal his identity. He must have just made up a lie like Miss Yu'er, saying that he was delivering firewood and charcoal to the garden, or delivering lamp oil and candles. Such a person is someone who often comes and goes in the garden, so he can't be considered a stranger."

Du Zhong nodded in strong agreement, "Yes, yes, yes. When Yu'er came in that day, she said she was a servant of the Yu family. The gatekeeper didn't even pull off the cloth covering her face to check. How can we tell who is who? Anyway, I think the Li family is highly suspicious. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that it happened to be around the time of his father-in-law's birthday?"

Faced with numerous and seemingly reasonable suspicions, Xu Bai had to be cautious. He instructed Zhang Da, "Send someone to keep watch at Master Li's father-in-law's house. If it's truly a birthday celebration, don't disturb Master Li. This garden is borrowed from them. Even if Lin Mo's death has nothing to do with the Li family, it wouldn't be good to offend him. Just wait until he's finished celebrating, then quietly summon him. If the celebration is a hoax, immediately arrest him and question him." After saying this, he cupped his hands and asked Yu Qi, "Sir, do you think this arrangement is appropriate?"

Yu Qi remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with an indifferent attitude, "This is an order from the yamen. Why are you asking me? I'm just helping you explain the case."

Xu Bai then waved to Zhang Da, making the arrangement. Looking around, he saw that the bowls and plates on the table were already set out. Seeing that Yu Qi's expression did not indicate that he intended to keep him for dinner, he had no choice but to bow and take his leave.

After he left, Yu Qi slowly walked from his chair to the dining table and asked Du Zhong, "Who told you these rumors?"

Jiuli sat down, picked up her chopsticks, looked at Du Zhong and sneered, "Don't you know? Du Zhong isn't good at medicine, but he's good at gossiping about the Zhang and Li families. He even knew about Aunt Feng's daughter's marriage before I did."

"You're out of the loop, yet you want to investigate cases like others." Du Zhong glanced at her disdainfully, then turned and sat down, smiling at Yu Qi. "I didn't intentionally inquire about it, but I overheard them talking about it in the kitchen just now, so I asked a couple of questions. I didn't know until I asked that the Li and Lin families had this feud. I also heard that although Master Li is wealthy, he is very stingy, calculating in business and meticulous in managing his household. The reason he was willing to lend this garden to the yamen this time is because of Master."

Yu Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Because of me, for what reason?"

"I heard that when we first asked Master Li to borrow this garden, he was reluctant, saying that the house already had a bad reputation and had never been sold. If some sick people lived there and some died, the garden would only confirm the ominous reputation."

"Later, it was Vice Minister Zhao who stepped forward and told him that he had invited you to treat the epidemic. He advised him: 'With the miraculous doctor with the magic touch, perhaps no one will die in this garden. All the patients living in your garden have recovered and become healthy. Who will say that your garden is unlucky?' Only after hearing this did he agree to lend the Lychee Garden to the government to accommodate the patients."

Holding the bowl, Jiuli tilted her head and flattered Yu Qi, "So it really is thanks to your reputation that the government spent those hundred taels of gold."

Yu Qi glanced at her and saw her digging into the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks, turning a perfectly good bowl of white rice into a mess. He then said, "Eat properly."

After a long silence, Yu Qi finished his meal and went into the east room. He picked up the half-burnt incense stick and examined it closely. He felt that although the sacrificial ceremony was simple and crude, there was something strange about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was so strange.

The next day, the messenger Zhang Da sent to Li Yuanwai's father-in-law's house returned with news that they were indeed preparing for a birthday banquet, which was to be held the day after tomorrow. Therefore, they had no choice but to wait patiently.

Two days later, early one morning, Jiuli got up and saw that the sky was overcast and it was not a good place to stroll around the garden. Feeling bored, she pestered Yuqi to accompany her to make his usual rounds to check on patients in each room. Yuqi could not resist her pestering and had no choice but to agree.

The group arrived at a large house in the west of the garden where a woman lived. There were rumors that Jiu Li and Du Zhong had killed someone, but when the woman saw that Jiu Li was beautiful and had some medical skills, and spoke without any airs of a young lady, and had a pair of bright and clear eyes that blinked cleverly and playfully, she looked more like a benevolent fairy than a murderer. Therefore, no one remembered the gossip and they all crowded around to look at her.

However, one woman refused to be examined and remained huddled on the bed, shivering with her head covered by a blanket. Seeing that all the doctors were men, Jiu Li naturally couldn't pull her away, so he went over and gently pulled at her blanket, calling her name several times, but she didn't respond.

Just as I was wondering, an old woman who had finished her consultation chimed in, "Last night I heard her muttering to herself under the covers. When I asked her what she was saying, she wouldn't answer. She was acting strangely."

After taking her pulse, Yu Qi and several other doctors approached the bed. "Does she have a fever, cough, or other symptoms?"

The old woman shook her head and said in a low voice, "Doctor Yu, I think she's not sick, she's possessed by an evil spirit."

"What evil spirit have you been possessed by?" Jiu Li turned around.

The old woman glanced at everyone and said, "I don't know. Her health had improved a lot, but she looked unwell when she came back last night. As soon as she entered the room, she crawled into bed and ignored everyone who spoke to her. She just kept talking to herself. When we went closer to listen, we heard her talking about ghosts and gods and chanting Buddhist prayers."

Another woman approached and laughed, "Isn't that the spirit of Miss Li's unborn child in that bamboo grove? Perhaps we bumped into it there last night. Although it took the life of Master Lin, it realized something was wrong. It was a man, so it couldn't possess him and had to take the life of a woman before it would stop."

Jiuli was secretly suspicious. At this moment, everyone wanted to stay far away from that bamboo forest, especially since the east side of the garden was all inhabited by men. What was this woman doing going there?

After a moment's thought, his mind stirred slightly, and he glanced at the bed, whispering to the old woman, "Is she the Lu family's daughter-in-law?"

The old woman countered, "Does the young lady recognize her?"

Naturally, Jiu Li didn't recognize her, but she remembered that Rou Ge and Guan Zhan had talked in the bamboo grove that night, mentioning the Lu family's daughter-in-law, who seemed to have an affair with Guan Zhan. Lin Mo died in Guan Zhan's courtyard, and the bamboo grove was right outside that courtyard. At this time, who would go there except for someone entangled with Guan Zhan?

Jiuli tugged at Yu Qi's sleeve twice, stood on tiptoe, and whispered something in his ear. He remembered, so he sat on the bed, reached under the covers, felt the pulse of the Lu family's daughter-in-law, took a careful pulse, and then shook his head with the other doctors, saying, "It has nothing to do with illness."

It just so happened that the medicine the Lu family's daughter-in-law was taking was prescribed by Lord Xu Qing. Upon hearing this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, shaving his mustache and smiling, "My prescriptions are never wrong! Since it's possession by an evil spirit, it has nothing to do with us. We only know how to treat illnesses, not how to exorcise evil spirits. You've been busy all morning and must be tired. I'd like to invite everyone to my room for tea!"

Several doctors went to invite him, but when they arrived at the door and saw that Yu Qi was not leaving, they turned back to invite him, saying, "Mr. Yu, don't worry about it. You are a doctor, not a Taoist priest. Your medicine can only cure diseases, how can it exorcise ghosts?"

Xu Qing said with a mix of sarcasm and irony, "What do you know? Doctor Yu has taken on another job. Lately, he's been helping Lord Qi solve cases. The infant spirit is related to the death of Lord Lin. Someone here is possessed by an evil spirit, so naturally we have to ask. Once we understand the truth and solve the case, I wonder how the government will thank us."

Yu Qi knew he was jealous, so he didn't refute him. He just smiled and bowed, "Yes, when the time comes, I will rely on the government to issue notices and make a name for myself in Nanjing. Why should I worry about business in my shop? Gentlemen, in the future, medical and pharmaceutical businesses will all have to give way to me."

Xu Qing snorted and led the group away.

Seeing that Xu Qing was quite angry, Jiu Li was naturally pleased and walked over with a smile, "That's right, they're unhappy that you're so powerful in the industry, so we should make them angry!" As she spoke, she pulled Yu Qi back to the bedside of the Lu family's daughter-in-law, "Uncle, please take a closer look, is she really possessed? I've been calling her for half a day and she still doesn't respond."

Yu Qi abruptly pulled back the covers, revealing a young and beautiful woman curled up on the bed, one hand covering her face, muttering, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. I don't know you, don't hurt me, every wrong has its perpetrator, I don't know you, I don't know you—"

A group of women gathered around, saying, "Listen to what she's saying, she's definitely bewitched!"

Yu Qi said calmly, "The so-called possession is nothing more than being frightened and losing one's mind for a moment. Zhong'er, bring a bowl of cold water."

A busybody woman quickly poured a bowl of cold water and handed it to Du Zhong. Du Zhong took it and waited expectantly for Yu Qi's instructions.

“Take a sip and spray it in her face.” After saying that, Yu Qi sat down on the stool above.

A note from the author:

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Thank you for reading.